User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info
  • Record Label:
  • Release Date:
The 20/20 Experience Image
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 493 Ratings

  • Summary: The third solo release for the pop singer is his first in nearly seven years and was produced by Timbaland (two tracks with Timberlake and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon).
Buy Now
Buy on

Top Track

Mirrors
Aren't you something to admire, 'cause your shine is something like a mirror And I can't help but notice, you reflect in this heart of mine If you... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 39
  2. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. Mar 18, 2013
    100
    As a complete package, The 20/20 Experience will surely be remembered as one of the first of what will hopefully become a trend in popular music of releasing challenging, experimental, and expertly written material.
  2. This is the kind of record where everyone will have different favorite song, where what someone calls dull or overlong or indulgent will resonate perfectly with someone else, depending on that listener’s past musical tastes and experiences.
  3. Mar 12, 2013
    80
    The 20/20 Experience is both a return to form and a departure, deftly combining his trademark shape-shifting digital funk with a warmer, more organic sound.
  4. May 6, 2013
    80
    The result would be encyclopedia-thumbing pastiche if it weren’t all so carefully curated, and if the production wasn’t so intricately, lavishly produced that as each track stretches into the fifth or sixth or eighth minute it was not still revealing permutations, secrets, strange little surprises.
  5. Mar 15, 2013
    75
    Timberlake is reminding us that as quickly as music moves today, great style persists.
  6. Mar 15, 2013
    70
    The issue is whether he's done enough to quench our R&B-infused pop sensibilities; he hasn't. The needle may have jumped a bit, but ultimately nothing here turns things over.
  7. Mar 18, 2013
    40
    Even the most hardened of cynics have to marvel at 20/20‘s sheer musical audacity, but at the end of the day, the individual songs fail to hold up to close scrutiny.

See all 39 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 78
  2. Negative: 5 out of 78
  1. Jul 30, 2013
    10
    Like fine wine, this album gets better with time. It's 2013's masterpiece! The tracks are all co-written by Justin and produced by Timbaland.Like fine wine, this album gets better with time. It's 2013's masterpiece! The tracks are all co-written by Justin and produced by Timbaland. The music is very instrumental...classical yet modern. The album is like a modern day Frank Sinatra meets JT. Women love this album, just so you guys know. Every track has a place on this album from the fantastic opening of Pusher Love Girl down to the Blue Ocean Floor. I was amazed with the sound and tones of each track. This album is damn near perfect. Note: This album is for lovers of R&B/Soul music not EDM or bubblegum pop. Expand
  2. Sep 4, 2020
    10
    La obra cumbre de JT, quien pese a que se toma su tiempo entre cada nuevo álbum, vale realmente la pena porque se nota el gran esmero, trabajoLa obra cumbre de JT, quien pese a que se toma su tiempo entre cada nuevo álbum, vale realmente la pena porque se nota el gran esmero, trabajo y dedicación en The 20/20 Experience, el cual yo podría considerar como su trabajo mas consistente, maduro y colosal de toda su carrera, fin. Expand
  3. Mar 19, 2013
    10
    Absolutely fantastic. Timberlake's signing is on point, the writing is amazing, the sulky production is also fantastic. This is what pop andAbsolutely fantastic. Timberlake's signing is on point, the writing is amazing, the sulky production is also fantastic. This is what pop and R&B is supposed to be. Should be hailed as the classic it is in a few years. Expand
  4. Mar 22, 2013
    9
    I'm glad to see JT after 7 long years. I was long waiting for an album and he didn't fail to deliver. The songs are catchy and addictive andI'm glad to see JT after 7 long years. I was long waiting for an album and he didn't fail to deliver. The songs are catchy and addictive and Timbaland's production is also good. So, overall this album is worth listening to. Expand
  5. Oct 4, 2013
    8
    This is the best and his most matured album that Justin Timberlake ever made.
    The lenghtly songs of the album made everyone had their
    This is the best and his most matured album that Justin Timberlake ever made.
    The lenghtly songs of the album made everyone had their eyebrows raised because nobody listens to very long songs. But, it seems like the lenghtly songs made every listener's time worth it.
    The tracklist is perfect, from the perfect opener, "Pusher Love Girl" to the perfect closer, "Blue Ocean Floor", it's like you're listening to the soundtrack of a Hollywood classic.
    The only song that was a miss is "Let the Groove In", which I felt like its somehow upbeat Latin tune is a bit out of place from this album.
    The lyrics may be mediocre but the sophisticated production backs it up perfectly.
    Timbaland's catchy back-up vocals and JT's amazing voice made this album very catchy as its own right.
    Let's not forget how JT learned from producing other songs for other artists with Timbaland and puts everything that he learned into this album.
    This ambitiously made album is a perfect album to buy for any fan and any non-fan who would proudly say that they're glad to buy this album.
    Expand
  6. May 31, 2013
    7
    This album’s best aspects for the most part are the production & singing. Musically it goes in a fairly diverse amount of territories on theThis album’s best aspects for the most part are the production & singing. Musically it goes in a fairly diverse amount of territories on the pop spectrum. It ranges from old-school horn/guitar-driven R&B to the modern electronically-tinged interpretations of R&B that was practically the trademark sound of his last album FutureSex/LoveSounds to some more worldly styles that incorporate tribal rhythm sections & mantra-like chant choruses that go on for a good majority of the song, to the minimalist closer Blue Ocean Floor that defies pop structure by running on solely a looped & seemingly backmasked keyboard part, creating an appropriately vast & subdued atmosphere for the beautifully sentimental lyrics about dedication to your significant other. This is one advantage 20/20 has over FS/LS; its ambitious & diverse (by pop album standards) instrumentation makes things a bit more sonically interesting from track to track in addition to the knack for great earworm hooks that has been a constant positive throughout JT’s career, whereas in the past, with a couple exceptions his work has been pop music through-and-through. On the mixed side of things, the lyrics are very hit-and-miss.They’re pretty much all about love (surprise surprise) though in a generally more mature direction than in the past; more ClassyBack than SexyBack. The thing is that the way these more sentimental ideas come across differs in success from track to track. Some tracks that pull this off exceptionally well include Mirrors & Tunnel Vision. The former is a very well-crafted & sincere affirmation that he and his significant other are perfect for each other and meant to last, playing on the term “better half” & tweaking the metaphor a bit. It’s basically this album’s My Love, except it sounds a little less made-for-radio while never losing its accessibility. The latter takes on a similar concept but focuses in more on the devoted & slightly obsessive side of things. It can get a bit cheesy in a couple lines but in comes off endearing rather than cringeworthy. Now if only that’d be the case with some of the other songs here... Some songs like Pusher Love Girl or Spaceship Coupe do nothing more than beat a bad metaphor (drugs & outer space respectively) into the ground until it’s reduced to dust. Heck, Pusher can’t even stay consistent; is the girl the drug or the dealer or it that actually JT that’s one of those things or what? Meanwhile Coupe devolves into replicating the lower points of FutureSex/LoveSounds, throwing out nothing but corny space-sex jokes. And while Strawberry Bubblegum doesn’t beat the titular concept entirely into the ground (in fact containing some pretty good lyrics), it’s still in the same ballpark of metaphoric lameness. It’s further amplified by the facepalm-inducing intro, which for 40 seconds beats into your skull that the song is “dedicated to you” like JT’s for some reason still pandering to the boy-band fangirl demo. It seems that on 20/20, lyrics can only work if they’re one of 2 extremes: the heart-pouring ballads & the lighthearted good-time songs. The songs in this category would include the uplifting & optimistic Don’t Hold the Wall, the dancey, fun & lyrically simple Let the Groove Get In (which like people have been saying sounds a lot like Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Startin’ Something, but not to the point of ripoff in my opinion) & the suave, sophisticated ode to high-class attire Suit & Tie. When Suit & Tie was released as the first single I was pleasantly surprised (since this was from before I really got into his work), even if it was a bit flawed. Namely in the awful-sounding intro & as well as the meandering & unnecessary verse from Jay-Z. On repeated listens I found a couple cool lines in there, but I definitely would have shortened it. Plus there’s a couple lines in the second verse of the song (Stop, lemme get a good look at it So thick, now I know why they call it a fatty) that just irk me. Is he talking about drugs? His girl’s butt? Either way it’s a bit out of place in an otherwise very mature song. Easily the biggest problem in this album though is the song lengths. Since FS/LS for some reason JT’s had this odd obsession with outros & interludes. And sometimes, like on What Goes Around Comes Around, it works really well, adding sort of a new dimension to the song & giving it more personality & presence. Other times though it just feels tacked on for no reason other than to seem more ambitious a musician than he really is. Unfortunately for the most part this strategy just doesn’t work. It usually falls into at least one of a number of outcomes; either it tacks on practically a remix of the same song, repeats the same 1 or 2 lines for 4 minutes, or just stays on the same groove for WAY too long. Still despite these gripes, JT's in fine form here. He just needs to learn to focus more on his strengths. 70/100 Expand
  7. Aug 8, 2013
    0
    Dear Justin, I think you already released this album back in 2006, except that the songs were 4 min shorter and didn't drag. The 20/20 isDear Justin, I think you already released this album back in 2006, except that the songs were 4 min shorter and didn't drag. The 20/20 is nothing but an unbearable DRAG and defo not a sexy back. Quite unsexy, actually. Thank God for Spotify, didn’t have to waste money on this. Expand

See all 78 User Reviews